1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand-held flossing device. More particularly, the invention relates to a hand-held flossing device with a tensioning mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flossing regularly is important to dental health. Traditionally, flossing has been accomplished by holding the floss tightly between the user's hands, wrapping the floss about the user's fingers, and winding the floss through the user's teeth. This method of flossing is cumbersome in several ways. For example, it is difficult to reach back teeth, it is also difficult to achieve a sufficient floss tension without hurting one's hands. Additionally, the user's hands touch the floss and enter the math, thus germs and other matter that may be on the user's hands can be transferred to the user's mouth. Similarly, the floss tends to communicate saliva and flossing products, such as dislodged plaque and dental caries, from the user's mouth to the hands.
To simplify flossing and avoid some of these problems, flossing aids have been developed. These aids employ different approaches to holding floss. Such flossing aids have been largely unsuccessful due to many factors such as difficulty of use, tendency to break, expense, inability to maintain appropriate tension, and the like. As such, there is a need in the art for a hand-held flossing device that is sturdy, inexpensive, easy to operate, and which delivers consistent and controllable performance during flossing.